Emme 'you're lucky you're so cute' Zinfandel, Redwood Valley 2023 (750 ml)

Variety: 100% Zinfandel

Vineyard: Ricetti Vineyard

AVA: Redwood Valley, CA

Farming: Organic, Dry Farmed

Harvest Date: 22 September 2023

Bottling Date: 23 March 2024

Alc: 12%

Cases: 160

Zinfandel is a tricky grape to work with, as it ripens much more quickly and more unevenly than the Carignan or Colombard at Ricetti.  I err on the side of picking it early, to ensure that the resulting wine retains fresh acidity and a low alcohol content.

Once picked, the Zinfandel was fully foot crushed and placed into a stainless tank, 100% whole cluster.  The fruit remained on its skins for a longer than normal 2 weeks, until it was nearly finished fermentation and ready to be pressed.  Once pressed off its skins, the wine was returned to tank to fully finish fermentation, at which point the wine was then moved to neutral oak barriques to age over the winter.

In late March, all the barriques of Zinfandel were racked to tank for bottling.

Indigenous yeast fermentation.  10 ppm SO2 at bottling, no other additions, unfined and unfiltered.